


i can't live with you

by iamnotbrianmay



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Bets & Wagers, Consensual Hate (???), Cute Brian May, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Football | Soccer, Freddie being a little shit, High School, John Is So Done, M/M, Misunderstandings, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Queen Being Queen, Roger Taylor (Queen) Being an Idiot, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, is that even a tag???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-12 07:24:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18441788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamnotbrianmay/pseuds/iamnotbrianmay
Summary: "I bet you ten bucks you can't ask May to give you his number without getting slapped."Freddie tries to hold his laughter, while John just rolls his eyes. The blond smiles, "And I bet you twenty bucks I can get his number and kiss him without getting slapped."Veronica smiles and extends her hand, "I don't know why you like making bets you will lose, Taylor."|||Otherwise known as, the five people who thought Brian and Roger hated each other, and the one time they realised they couldn't have been more wrong





	1. 1st: jim hutton

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, this is another story that i just had to write. It came to me once in a dream and now it wont leave. 
> 
> Please tell me your thoughts in the comments!

**_Jim_ **_**likes to think that his life is relatively drama free**._ He has a group of friends, which he loves (about seventy per cent of the time), a boyfriend who he is madly in love with (when Freddie isn't being a little shit), and pretty acceptable grades. Which is precisely the reason that he takes whatever little drama his life gives him, and enjoys it as much as he can. A, once a year, allowance for a show never hurt anyone.

Especially if he could go to both parties afterwards and make sure that everything is alright. Or well, that’s how Jim justifies not doing anything as two of his closest friend tear each other apart.  
  
They had just come out of the field after a long practice session. Coach Wilson had been especially rough that evening, and while he often appreciated the exertion, he couldn’t help but agree with Roger as they walked down the stairs into the changing room about not leaving his bed for the next four days. He can still feel the uncomfortable burn of the weights they had strapped to their ankles the whole latter half of practice.  
  
Just as the group is walking down to the dressing rooms, Jim notices that there are people down there already. The lights are turned on, the door sits slightly open, and there is soft laughter coming from inside. Weird, they are usually the last ones left on campus while the soccer season is going on.  
  
He watches as Roger pushes the door open, revealing three people who had apparently been waiting for them to come back from training. Freddie is sitting beside Jim’s clothes, folding up the things he had carelessly left thrown on the floor. The older boy looks adorable in Jim’s oversized sweater, and it takes all of his strength not to run over and wrap Freddie in a hug. He knows his boyfriend hates sweaty hugs.  
  
He is too focused on his boyfriend to notice the elephant on the room, that being the tension between his captain and the Head Boy. Roger glares at the guitarist and starts taking off his cleats, “Oh, look who it is.”  
  
“Happy to see me?”  
  
“No,” Roger breezes past Brian, giving Freddie and John a soft kiss on their foreheads as a greeting and heads towards the back of the room where his locker is, “but now you are here, so I guess I have to put up with it.”  
  
Jim walks up to his boyfriend, greeting the boy with a warm smile, and gives him a peck. Freddie scrunches his nose at the smell but smiles all the same. He tries to catch Jim’s attention, but the younger man’s focus is pulled away as Roger gives an unholy screech.  
  
“You what?!”  
  
“Calm down, Roger,” Brian says in a soft voice, “it’s only a week.”  
  
“Of no practice!” Now everyone is paying attention to the pair, who look right about to punch the living daylights out of one another, “Brian you know we need to practice. We are in the middle of the season.”  
  
“I know Rog—”  
  
“No, you seemingly don’t!” Jim watches as Brian tries to grab Roger’s elbow, maybe to get his attention, but then John clears his throat. Both boys turn to look at their audience, Brian drops his hand.  
  
Roger uses the opportunity to push past the other boy, and head towards the showers. Towel, shampoo, and spare clothes in his hand. He hesitates for a second and turns around to face the whole team, who have their eyes trained on him. “For all of those wondering, Head Boy here wants to kick us out of the field for a week.”  
  
“Fuck you, Roger.”  
  
“Likewise, mate.”  
  
Jim is so focused on the fact that they are getting kicked off the field for a week a few days before the quarterfinals that he misses the look that John gives Roger. He misses the entire silent conversation that the blond and the bassist have, just because he is watching as Brian is struggling to appease the now screaming and complaining soccer team.  
  
Once Brian has explained the situation— (really, a charity fair? Couldn’t they program something that Jim _can_ be against) and the soccer team has, sort off, calmed down Jim approaches Brian. The older boy is fiddling with the cuff of his jersey, looking at the door leading to the shower room with an indecipherable look on his face.  
  
“Lovers Quarrel?” He asks as he stuffs his cleats into his locker.  
  
Brian snorts, “He can be such an asshole sometimes.”  
  
Jim rolls his eyes, “Tell me about it.” He takes out his things from the locker, making sure to grab his deodorant and soap before closing the metal door and locking it, “Look, Roger can be an asshat sometimes. But if you want him to stop hating you, you need to put some effort in.”  
  
Brian frowns at the comment, and looks about to say something when Phoebe runs past Jim, shoving his shoulder, “The last one to get there gets the broken shower.”  
  
All thoughts of Brian are shoved out of the window, and he runs behind Phoebe, trying to catch him before he locks himself in a stall and leaves him with the piss poor excuse of a shower he had been threatened with.  
  
Freddie walks up to Brian seconds later, frowning at the odd conversation his boyfriend and best friend had just had, “Did he just imply Roger hates you?”  
  
Brian’s frown deepens, “I think he did.”  
  
John rolls his eyes as he sees the look that crosses Freddie’s face but listens at the evil plan all the same. The sounds coming from the shower room are loud enough so that Brian’s question is drowned out.  
  
“You want me to pretend to hate my boyfriend?”  
  
“Sounds like a brilliant idea.”  
  
“No, it doesn’t.”  
  
“Think of their faces once they find out, darling.”  
  
“They _would_ be priceless.” 


	2. 2nd: chrissie mullen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Oh, it’s perfect!”
> 
> “No, it's not.”
> 
> “Of course it is!”
> 
> “What is perfect about being publicly humiliated by my boyfriend?”
> 
> “He won’t humiliate you if he can’t walk properly, you know?”
> 
> “John!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This implies some dirty, dirty, things, so if you are not into it please skip this chapter! 
> 
> Otherwise, thank you for reading my story and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it!

**Chrissie wasn’t often interested in sports like the rest of her friends were**. She was more of a quiet and nerdy type of girl, interested in science fairs and book reading. However, she wouldn’t miss the chance to see Brian have his ass handed back to him for the world.  
  
It’s not that she hated her ex-boyfriend, in fact, they had ended their relationship in reasonably good terms, even going as far as still going out together and enjoying long study sessions in the evening. But there was nothing quite as satisfying as knowing that her friend was going to get humiliated by a bunch of Juniors.  
  
Annual sports competitions came around faster than they had all anticipated, and by the time that the charity fair she had helped plan had passed, she had been shoved into more student council business. Only this time she didn’t have to raise money for cancer awareness, just promote an event that would join up the generations to create a healthier school environment, are something ridiculous like that.  
  
So she used the excuse to draft up the teams, and included Brian since it was his Head Boy duty to participate in every single event he could, and drafted the schedule so that every living and breathing person on campus could watch as the Seniors team got whipped by the Juniors.  
  
A team which is composed by half of the soccer boys, including the school star Roger Taylor. The drummer who had been delighted when Chrissie had told him about the tournament and the teams he would be facing against.

_(“Oh, it’s perfect!”  
_  
_“No, it's not.”  
_  
_“Of course it is!”  
_  
_“What is perfect about being publicly humiliated by my boyfriend?”  
_  
_“He won’t humiliate you if he can’t walk properly, you know?”  
_  
_“_ John _!”  
_  
_“Oh come off it Brian, it’s not like you weren’t thinking about it.”)_  
  
Drummer who was now having a small mental break down right before the match.  
  
Chrissie found him out of pure luck. She had been going around campus, planning the event and getting everything ready for Brian’s downfall, when she sees Roger Taylor sat in a bench, tearing one of the fliers promoting the event while angrily muttering to himself. She walks up to him and clears her throat once she is close enough as to not startle the young man.  
  
“God,” she comments, “What did that flyer do to you?”  
  
“Stupid fucking thing touched me.”  
  
She made a face, and decided to sit beside the blond, trying to see if maybe that will calm him down, “Spill, what’s wrong?”  
  
The blond looks like he wants to say something, letting his mouth run off like he always does, but he seems to think twice about it. Instead, what comes out of his mouth confuses Chrissie beyond belief, “Would you believe me if I told you that Brian May is trying to win this match by cheating?”  
  
Now that made her eyebrows shoot up, “Brian May? Are you sure?”  
  
“Fucking asshat,” Roger cursed, “yesterday he asked me to help him with something and I, like an idiot, agreed. Now my back hurts, and so do my thighs and—”  
  
She panics at the thought of Roger not playing and subsequently losing half of the female audience she had managed to attract into the event, “So you are not playing?”

“Of course I’m playing,” he answers, “I’m playing the best damn match of my whole damn _life_. I’m gonna teach that cheating piece of shit a lesson—!”

“Rog,” she placed her hand on his arm, “Roger. Calm down. There are teachers all around us.”  
  
The blond looked around and sighed in relief once he realised no teacher had heard him, then turned back towards Chrissie, “Sorry. But you get the idea.”  
  
“You must hate him.”  
  
“Horribly.”  
  
After calming Roger down from his meltdown, she asked him to accompany her while she got everything ready. And while, yeah he did have a weird limp, he was also of great help carrying boxes of food down to the soccer field and charming the referees they had hired to the event into letting the Juniors pick the side of the field to start in.  
  
Once they were ready to go, Chrissie even went as far as accompanying Roger to get his stuff to get prepared for the match. Listening to him rant about how he was going to end Brian May for ten minutes straight. In the end, she was slightly worried about the older boy’s health.  
  
“Just— try not to kill him, okay?”  
  
He promised though he didn’t sound as sincere as she would have liked.  
  
Later, Roger completely _annihalated_  the Seniors. Relishing in the cheers from the crowd, at every praise and compliment that came his way when he broke someone’s ankles or made a particularly tricky move.  
  
And well if everyone missed the way that Brian’s face twisted into a pleased smile when Roger’s... _pains_ got the best of him; well, that was just part of the plan, wasn’t it?

_(“I hate you.”_  
  
_“That’s not what you said last night.”_  
  
_“Brian May, I am serious, there is not a single person in this world that I hate more than I hate you right now.”_  
  
_“Yeah?”_  
  
_“Yeah, and I’m going to make you pay for what you did.”)_


	3. 3rd: dominque beyrand

**Some people call Dominique Beyrand an opportunist**. She is always looking for a chance to do one of two things. (1) Rub people the wrong way or (2) bet things which she knows she is bound to win.

So when she sees the way that Roger Meddows Taylor is bragging about his ability to score _anyone's_ number, while Brian Harold May is sitting a few meters away from them, she knows that the chance is too good to pass up. She knows Roger seldom backs down from a dare, regardless of how ridiculous he looks while doing it. And she also happens to know that both boys hate each other with a burning passion.

She has heard all the rumours about the boys having been friends once and then turning to mortal enemies after they had been caught skinny dipping while drunk. According to the High School’s lore, their parents had punished them for over a month and ever since that fateful day the wouldn’t be seen within a mile radius of each other.

A coy smile flickered over her face, “Yeah? Well I bet you ten bucks you can't ask May to give you his number without getting slapped."

Freddie tries to hold his laughter, while John just rolls his eyes. The blond smiles, "And I bet you twenty bucks I can get his number and kiss him without getting slapped."

Veronica smiles and extends her hand, "I don't know why you like making bets you will lose, Taylor."

“‘cause I've got nothing left to lose?”

“Twenty bucks.”

“I also have the chance to win them!”

And with that the drummer stands up from his place below the tree and saunters over to where Brian May is sitting at. He makes the show of swaying his hips slightly, and running a hand through his long, blond, hair. Move he knows people often find irresistable.

Dominique just rolled her eyes, and turned towards Freddie and John, who were watching the scene amusedly, “So, what do you say, five bucks that he gets slapped?”

John just rolls his eyes and Freddie laughs, before saying something about knowing that their friend is going to get slapped. Dominique turns back to the scene carrying out between the head boy and her best friend. Brian is talking to some of the people in the student council his wild curls look particularly untamed, his smile is lighting up his face, and he is adorably bouncing on the balls of his feet while talking about plans to the other nerds. When Roger gets close to him, the blond grabs his arm, pulling the older boy away and telling the student council to give him a moment alone with Brian.

Everyone’s eyes seem to be on the pair as Roger drags him towards one end of the cafeteria and chats him up. Dominique is not close enough to see the exact expression on Brian’s face, but Roger looks amused. He is using every single trick on his book to get the older man’s phone number, and she watches horrified as in the end the head boy obliges. Roger takes his phone out and types something on it, and Dominique can’t quite believe her eyes.

Then Roger plants a kiss on his cheek and promptly gets slapped.

The whoop is out of her throat before she can contain it, and Roger is rubbing his face while glaring in her direction. Brian turns and finds a cheering Dominique and a laughing John and Freddie. Roger barely has time to recover before the older man is slapping him again.

( _“What was_ that _for? I thought I only said once.”_

_“Had to make it believable.”_

_“Fucking Wanker, you owe me dinner.”_

_“Stop crying, I didn’t even hit you that hard.”)_

Roger returns with his metaphorical tail tucked between his legs, and with everyone in the cafeteria laughing at his failed attempt to hook up with Brian May. The one enjoying herself the most is Dominique, who looks like she just won the lottery, even if she technically lost ten bucks.

He plops down dejectedly, rubbing his face, “At least I got his number.”

“Yeah,” Freddie comments, “I’m _sure_ he didn’t give you a fake number.”

“He wouldn’t!” Roger grabbed his phone, “I was nice about it and everything!”

( _“Please, it will be hilarious.”_

_“I’ll lose twenty bucks!”_

_“Please?”_

_“Fine, fuck you.”)_

Roger dialed the number and put it on speaker, trying to prove Dominique wrong, then blushed the deepest shade of red when a woman’s voice answered, _“_ _Hello, this is in not the person you were trying to reach. You have reached the Rejection Hotline! The person who gave you this number did not want you to have their—”_

“That asshole.”

The three other people on the table laughed, and Roger turned to glare at Brian who had been looking towards them. The older man smiled, sharp canines poking into his lower lip adorably, and winked at Roger, who huffed.

He snatched the phone back and stuffed it in his pocket, and Brian stopped looking towards the table. Dominique finally managed to calm herself down and looked at the dejected looking Roger, “Well, it seems like you can’t _actually_ get everybody's phone number.”

“Ha ha,” Roger took his wallet out, “just take your twenty pounds and go.”

“I’m gonna rub this on your face for years to come.”

“Wasn’t expecting anything less.”

“I love you.”

“I don’t.”

The conversation continued, and Dominique relished in every opportunity to remind Roger of his failed attempt of wooing the head boy. He just rolled his eyes every time, trying to defend himself with half assed arguments about how he had at least tried. Then he felt his phone ping in his pocket.

 **_< 3: _ ** _will make it up to you tonight._

 **_< 3: _ ** _date night at the cinema?_

 **_me:_ ** _fine, but you pay_

 **< 3:** _just as long as its not more than twenty pounds._

 **_me:_ ** _no sex for a month, brian harold may. you have been warned_


	4. 5: mary austin

It’s almost become a national sport for them. 

Freddie and Jim tell them that it’s bound to get them in trouble on of these days. John and Veronica enjoy watching their friend get horrifically angry at the blonds. Chrissie and Dominique have an ongoing bet about who is going to get themselves into trouble the fastest. While Roger and Mary do their utmost to annoy Brian May beyond belief. 

That’s exactly what they are doing right now. 

The head boy had planned a field trip to the London Planetarium, and had started explaining of the occasion which they were celebrating. Something about commemorating the first British citizen to get to space. Lesser known achievement which the gigantic space nerd was absolutely enamoured with. 

She had teased him endlessly about it when they were kids. She still did when she had the chance. 

The older boy finished explaining the trip, what they were going to do and the academic papers they were required to complete with the visit. She raised her hand and Brian rolled his eyes once he saw her, “Yes Mary?” 

“Will you do my space essay for me if I buy you food?” 

Everyone laughed, and the teacher in charge rolled his eyes. Brian smiled at the blond and shook his head, “That depends on the food.” 

“Some of that terrible Tofu burgers they sell at Joaquin’s.” 

Brian laughed, and shook his head, curls bobbing as he did, “You can’t bribe me.” 

“I mean, you could, but he is too much of a snob.” 

Yeah, it definitely isn’t just Mary’s imagination when the classroom’s temperature drops. Everyone turns to look at Roger, who is leaning back on his chair, arms crossed over his chest and glare trained on Brian. 

Brian scoffs, “Are you really going to bring our fight into a classroom?” 

“You got a problem with it?” 

The teacher finally seems to realise what is happening, he looks up, “ _ Boys,  _ no fighting please.” 

“He started it.” 

“Don’t be childish!” 

“ _ Boys. _ ” 

Brian rolls his eyes and reaches into his bag, taking out a wad of papers, and starts handing them out, "Please remember to turn in your permission slips before Friday—" 

"What if I don't want to?" 

Brian looks down at them, and rolls his eyes, avoiding giving Roger a permission slip, "Then rot in a classroom while we go to the museum." 

"Aw, come on Baby! Don't be like that!" 

The taller man froze and turned to glare at Roger, "Don't call me that, Roger." 

“What?” Roger said defiantly, “you’d rather me call you daddy?” 

That got some laughs from all around the room, and Mary could see how Brian’s eyes flashed with anger, “Sometimes you can be such a dick, Roger.” 

“Likewise, asshat.” 

She could feel as everyone in the room sucked in a breath. The teacher looked up, brown eyes blown wide behind his stupid glasses as he stared at both Roger and Brian. But mainly at Brian, who had been known for never cursing. 

The whole class seemed to freeze as the boys snarled at each other, It lasted for a few seconds before the teacher seemed to snap, rising up and pointing at the boys.  

“Principal’s office,” he barked, “both of you.” 

Brian turned around so fast some of his papers went flying, “ _ Me?”  _

“Yes,” he pointed at the door, “both of you. That’s what you get for cursing and fighting in class.” 

Brian slammed the papers on Roger desk just as the younger boy scoffed and got up from his chair. They left the room in a flury, and once Brian had slammed the door behind them, they could hear the screams from both boys as they walked away. 

Mr Parker rubbed his forehead and sighed, “It’s like a time bomb with those two.” 

She heard Freddie scoff, “Tell me about it.” 

“Any reason why they are at each other’s throats today?” 

Freddie made a face, and John cleared his throat, “Yes Freddie, any reason?” 

“Oh shush,” Freddie snapped, “it’s your fault as much as it’s mine.” 

Mary had no time to unpack all of that because there was a scream from outside that could only be described as a scream of annoyance, and everyone immediately ran to the windows to try and catch whatever had produced it. 

Once she got there she saw Brian and Roger in the courtyard, arguing, screaming, and flailing their hands as much as possible. She turned to look at Freddie and John and found that they both looked incredibly guilty. 

**Author's Note:**

> Swing by [my tumblr (@iamnotbrianmay)](https://iamnotbrianmay.tumblr.com/) and say hi or swing by my other maylor fanfics [(In the arms of life and death](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17697668) and [the a experience)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17276027) and give them a read!
> 
> Im a slut for kudos and comments


End file.
